Grey's Anatomy: When Disaster Strikes
by StevenM
Summary: The doctors of Seattle Grace and doctors of the Seattle Grace's past, all come together to save a dying infant's life. However, things take a turn for the worst when Seattle is rocked by a terrible earthquake, making it a race against the clock!
1. Chapter 1

**Grey's Anatomy: Where Disaster Strikes**

By KappaSigSteve

_Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy. I am simply using the characters to tell a story. There is no profit involved._

* * *

_We hear Doctor Meredith Grey speak ..._

"There are times in our lives when we truly want the best for people other than ourselves. There are times when we are not mean or selfish. At times, we are compassionate, caring, ... loving. We want the best for those that truly deserve it, without anything in return."

"These are special times. The best of times really."

"The problem is these times only happen few and far between."

"And what happens when despite your best efforts to be all caring and compassionate, fate desides to kick you right in the teeth?"

* * *

Isobel "Izzy" Stephens speeds frantically down the main corridor of Seattle Grace Hospital, with George O'Malley hot on her tracks. She comes around the corner quickly, practically knocking a nurse aside like a linebacker. Izzy barely misses a step as she continues on through the hallway. Her speedy determination, however, does not allow her to escape George.

"This is bad, George, very bad."

"What's bad, Izzy?! How am I suppose to know what's bad if you won't stop for two seconds?!"

Izzy comes to the center meeting counter, where Doctor Meredith Grey and Doctor Alex Karev are casually awaiting their next assignment. They both appear bored, as the day so far has been relatively quiet.

"Have you guys heard?!", asked Izzy, pressing herself against the counter.

"Heard what?", said Meredith, seeming slightly annoyed by Izzy's urgent outburst.

"Thank you! That's what I've been asking!", panted George, as he finally reaches the counter himself.

He is hunched over now, taking in grateful gasps of air.

"What are you morons babbling about?" said Alex, opening a small bag of peanuts.

"I can't believe I'm the only one who knows! This is crazy! Stuff like this just doesn't remain a secret!", replied Izzy, a mixture of panic and excitement.

"Oh for crying out loud Izzy, tell me!", shouted George, now standing upright.

"Yeah, tell the little gossip queen before he has an aneurism." laughed Alex, before tossing a peanut into his mouth, crunching down hardily.

Obviously, Alex was in his usual arrogant mood, taking stabs at George at leisure.

"You guys are not going to believe this!" said Izzy with sheer excitement.

"Out with it Izzy. Spill it." replied Meredith evenly.

Izzy takes a deep breath, collecting her thoughts before speaking.

"Doctor Burke is coming back to Seattle Grace." she said, barely able to contain herself.

There is a moment of silence, as the other doctors process this statement.

"Oh my god." stated Meredith and George together.

"I know, right?!" replied Izzy urgently, glad to be free of her secret.

"So what? Big deal. So Doctor Burke is coming back. That's hardly worth getting worked up about." stated Alex, still munching on his bag o' peanuts.

"Oh come off it, Alex! This is a very big deal!" argued Izzy, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Why?"

"Cristina." stated Meredith and George together.

Alex rolls his eyes in response.

"Yang is a big girl. I'm sure she's long over Doctor Burke. And if not, we'll you' all don't need to gossip about it like a bunch of old women." snipped Alex, finishing off the snack bag. "Get a life."

"Would it kill you to show an ounce of compassion, Alex?" replied Meredith, defensively, "Cristina is our friend."

Alex laughs openly by this.

"Wrong. Cristina is your friend, Meredith. Not ours." pointed out Alex, while motioning to Izzy and George.

The two other doctors say nothing. It wasn't as if they could really argue the fact. Cristina was in all intensive purposes ... a bitch.

"Even so. It wouldn't kill you to have a heart, Alex." retorted Meredith.

"Sorry Grey, not my department. That falls well within Yang's domain though." chuckled Alex, moving away from the group, clearly finished with the conversation.

Meredith watches Alex walk away, wanting very much to rebuttal with something witty, but all she could think about now was her best friend, "her person", Cristina.

"This is going to destroy her." said Meredith, sympathetically.

"Do you think she knows?" asked Izzy.

"Does who know what?" asked Cristina Yang, moving in, reading over a medical chart.

The doctors all freeze, trying to come up with some kind of response.

"Uhh ... uhh ... Doctor Bailey", stated George, not at all convincing, "Izzy was just saying, do we think Bailey knows that Izzy skipped her last rounds shift."

Cristina doesn't seem to catch George's pathetic attempt to lie.

"Well, it is Bailey, so yeah probably. But it's not like Izzy can't do them now." replied Cristina, lowering the chart to her side.

The other three doctors toss uncomfortable glances at one another.

"Uhh ... right! I should probably get on that! Thanks Cristina!", said Izzy, taking hold of O'Malley's wrist, "Come on George, you can help!"

Izzy yanks George away, giving Meredith a look, a look that said "You're her best friend, you should tell her!" And within seconds, Izzy and George are no where in sight. Meredith wanted very much to run off as well, but didn't have it in her. As much as she hated to admit it, Izzy was right. Her nonverbal statement was oh so true. Meredith should be the one to talk to Cristina about Doctor Burke.

"That was weird." said Cristina, rolling her eyes, placing the chart down on the counter.

"Well, it is Izzy and George. You know how those two are." said Meredith, acting nonchalant.

Cristina looks up at Meredith, blinking once, twice. Yang could tell by Meredith's expression that something was up.

"What's going on, Meredith?" asked Yang, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh nothing really. But we should probably talk. Lunch later?"

Cristina examines Meredith with keen eyes.

"Fine. But you better not be hiding a surgery. If it's heart related, you know I want it."

"Trust me, Cristina. If it were heart related, I'd tell you up front."

Meredith wanted to be sick. The truth was the topic of discussion was heart related, just not in the way Cristina thought.

* * *

"Addison, glad to have you back." stated Doctor Webber, seated comfortably at his desk.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Richard? I'm not back!" replied Addison Montgomery, practically exaperated.

"You can stop telling me that, when you stop coming back to Grace with scheduled surgeries."

"That's hardly my fault. I have patients here, Richard. I can't just up an abandom them. I made obligations, and I plan to see them through."

"That's great, Addison." replied Webber, rising from his chair, "But we need you "here". You're friends are "here". You keep coming back "here". See my point?"

"Yes, but you fail to see mine. I enjoy California."

"Whatever you say, Addy." replied Webber, patting her on the shoulder much like a father dismissing his child.

Suddenly, there is a knock at the office door. But before Webber can respond, the door swings open and Doctor Miranda Bailey enters, clearly angry.

"Bad time, Chief?" asked Bailey, not really caring if it were a bad time.

"No Miranda, it's fine", realizing something was up, "What's on your mind?"

Miranda huffs, placing her hands on her hips.

"Just when were you going to tell me Doctor Burke was coming back?"

"Burke is coming back?" asked Addison in suprise.

Webber was going to speak but he was cut off.

"Tends to be a trend around here." stated Bailey, eyeing Montgomery with slight intrigue.

Addison quickly realizes what Miranda is implying. She chuckles uncomfortably.

"No no no, I'm not back. I'm here for my very last surgery. The last!", the "last" spoken with emphasis.

"So she says." snickers Webber, moving for the exit.

"And just where do you think you're going? You had best tell me what's going on in my hospital!" ordered Bailey.

Webber stops in his tracks and blinks somewhat confused. He was fairly certain that he was the chief of surgery, but somehow Bailey always seemed to run the show. And whether he liked it or not, her abrasive forthright attitude was exactly what Seattle Grace needed. Even though she did have a tendency to step over the line a time or three.

"He's not "back" either, Bailey. He's actually here for the same surgery Addison is here for."

"What?" asked Bailey and Montgomery together, both confused.

"Oh ... I thought you knew Addison. The McKinney baby. His parents requested that a neonatal and cardio specialist both be present during the surgery."

"That hardly seems nessesary, Chief." replied Addison, somewhat offended.

"I'm sorry Addison. I approved the request. The McKinneys are good friends with Doctor Burke. And you've seen the baby's chart. The McKinneys can use all the help they can get right now. I want you and Burke both on this procedure." stated Webber, in case closed fashion.

* * *

"He's going to be fine." stated Stephen McKinney, father of little Evan.

"I'm sure." replied Alex Karev, glancing over the baby's medical chart, trying hard to ignore the father.

Meanwhile, Mister McKinney swallows the lump in his throat, mopping the sweat from his brow.

"I mean, he has to be fine. Right? I know Doctor Burke is an excellent heart surgen, but Evan is so little. His heart is so small. It's hard to have magic hands if the heart you're working on is too small even for a baby to use. But then again, it is Burke. He is the magic man."

Alex looks up from his chart and for the first time that day, shows a bit of compassion.

"I wouldn't worry Mister McKinney. I'm sure your baby is going to be fine. Doctor Burke and Doctor Montgomery are both highly capable surgens. What they plan to do is inject your baby's heart with a growth steroid, so that his heart will grow properly. It's been done in limited cases, but it has been successful in the past." stated Alex matter-of-factly.

"Right, right." said Stephen, not at all convinced, "I'm sure you're right. Now how am I suppose to convince my wife of that?" he asked with a sad laugh.

* * *

Theresa McKinney stares through the glass containment of her baby's encubator. Little Evan is asleep, unmoving. Tears trickle down Theresa's cheeks as she observes the frailness of her child. She was told that if the surgery didn't work, the baby would surely die. So all her hopes and prayers were rested on the hands of the doctors of Seattle Grace. And if they failed, her baby would die. Her little Evan would be gone from this world just as fast as he arrived.

The baby yawns and Theresa sobs openly.

"You're going to make it, Evan", she cried, "Cause you know mommy and daddy can't go on without you."

She had so many questions. Why was her baby not healthy? How had it come to this? Were the doctor's capable of saving him? Was he going to make it?

There were so many questions and so few answers. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

Or so she thought.

**To Be Continued ...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"This is big news." said Dr. Derek Shepherd as me moves through a hallway of Seattle Grace.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Maybe Addison will give it up while she's here." replied Dr. Mark Sloan, flashing his eyebrows devilishly.

"Is there ever a time when you're not thinking about sex?" asked Derek, not at all surprised by Sloan's remark.

"During surgery. But even then, I'm probably still thinking about getting some ass." Sloan grins from ear to ear. "You know how I love the nurses."

Derek rolls his eyes ever so slightly.

"You know someday, they're probably going to name a sexually transmitted diseased after you."

Mark chuckles hardily in response.

"A disease well worth catching." he laughed. "Yeah?"

The two doctors come around a corner.

"Not really, no." replied Derek humorously. "Anyway, I wasn't talking about Addison. I was talking about Burke."

Sloan blinks, the two men clearly not on the same page.

"Oh. Well forgive me if I think Addison is the bigger deal." He looks around. "Speak of which, has she arrived yet?"

Derek looks down at his medical chart, writing a few notes down.

"Probably. And if she has, she'd be in neonatal intensive."

Sloan nods quickly.

"Right." he said, patting Derek on the shoulder, moving off toward neonatal. He calls back to Derek, still on the prowl. "Thanks. I'll catch up with you later."

"Why do I not believe you?" replied Derek, speaking mostly to himself, still reading over his chart.

Suddenly, a familiar voices calls out to him.

"Hey."

Derek looks up from his chart and sees Meredith Grey standing before him. He smiles gently, clicking his pen closed.

"Hey. What are you up to?"

"Avoid Cristina. You?"

"Just finishing up my rounds." Derek lifts an eyebrow. "Why are you avoiding Cristina?"

"You haven't heard?" asked Meredith in surprise.

Derek ponders for a second when suddenly a light goes off in his head. He felt stupid for asking such a question.

"Preston Burke's return to Seattle Grace." he said. "She must be devastated."

"Actually, she doesn't know yet." replied Meredith, somewhat sheepishly.

"Well news travels fast. You might want to get around to it. I'm sure she'd rather hear it from you than anyone else."

"I'm getting to it okay?" huffed Meredith. "I'm just collecting my thoughts is all."

"You're ducking out on your best friend is what you're doing." replied Derek, on the move again.

Meredith walks with him, the two side by side. She wonders if anyone is watching them together. Everyone knew that she and Derek were no longer a couple, and the recent scuttlebutt was that he was sleeping (not exactly Meredith's favorite detail) with one Nurse Rose. However, the general consensus was that Meredith and Derek would end up dating again. Meredith was hopeful but not exactly holding her breath either.

"So, what exactly is your take on this whole Burke thing?" asked Meredith, trying to focus the conversation away from her and her avoidance of Cristina.

"I make it note not to have a take, Meredith. I don't have an opinion."

"Sure you do. EVERYONE in this hospital has an opinion ... about everyone and everything."

"I don't." replied Derek evenly.

"You're a bad liar."

"And you're a bad friend." Derek points. "Look."

Meredith matches her gaze with Derek's and her heart drops. Doctor Preston Burke was walking through the sliding doors of Seattle Grace.

"Oh my god." she cried.

"Cristina." stated Derek blankly.

"I'm on it." replied Meredith, moving quickly to find her best friend.

* * *

Below the streets of Seattle, deep within the Earth's crust ... there is movement and a building of energy, just waiting to be released.

**To Be Continued ...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Alex Karev moves from one incubator to another, checking life support readings, marking them down on this chart. Izzy Stephens is seated on a nearby counter.

"Isn't this crazy Alex?" asked Izzy, kicking her feet back and forth.

He doesn't respond, as he is still engrossed in his work. It doesn't matter to Izzy, as she continues to talk.

"I mean ... why would Burke come back without at least mentioning it to Cristina? Seems rather cruel, not to mention a little odd."

"What's odd Izz, is your fascination with it all." replied Alex, still logging life support readings.

Izzy hops off the counter now, slightly insulted by Alex's remark.

"All I'm saying is that the last thing Grace needs is more baby-momma drama. That's all."

"Yeah, speaking of "baby-momma drama" check this guy out." said Alex, gently tapping a nearby incubator.

Izzy approaches the incubator and looks through the glass, to see a fragile looking baby, who is sleeps soundly. His chest rises and falls in slow secession, not exactly healthy breathing.

"He's so small." said Izzy, a frown spreading across her face.

"Tell me about it. His heart is the size of a small walnut."

"So this is the McKinney baby then?"

"Yep, Burke and Montgomery will be working on him this afternoon."

Sad, Izzy swallows down the lump that has formed in her throat.

"Do you think he'll make it, Alex?"

Alex looks through the incubator, examining the baby briefly.

"I don't know Izz. The odds are stacked against him." replied Alex, his facial expression stoic.

* * *

"Come on, for old times sake." laughed Mark Sloane, trying to take hold of Addison Montgomery by the waist.

Addison smacks Mark's hands away.

"No means no, Sloane." retorted Addison, unable to contain a slight grin.

"You love it and you know it." replied Mark with a chuckle.

"Uhhh ... actually I don't. I do not want to be touched by your unclean hands. I heard all about your "nurse issue", or should I say "nurse issues", as in plural?"

"Hey don't worry. I can wash my hands."

"I'd rather you wash off the nurses."

"Jealous are we?" replied Mark, flashing his eyebrows devilishly.

"No, but you're stupid if you think I'm going to contract one of your STDs."

Mark's smile falls from his face, now replaced by a frown.

"You know, you're the second person today whose mentioned me and sexually transmitted diseases."

Addison pats Mark on the top of his head.

"Take the hint Horn-Dog."

Mark remains silent for a moment, before his smile returns.

"Never. So ... what if I get tested? How about then?" chuckles Sloan, reaching for Addison again.

Addison smacks him away yet again. She rolls her eyes before walking away from him.

"Forget it, Sloane!"

"But I'm lonely, Addison." replied Mark with a fake pouty lip.

"Get a dog. You'd two have so much in common." replied Addison, before disappearing behind a corner.

* * *

"Cristina!" cried out Meredith, chasing after her friend.

Cristina is engrossed in a folder, moving somewhat speedily through a hallway. Her eyes are glued to the papers before her.

"What is it Meredith? I'm a bit busy right now."

Meredith takes a hold of Cristiana by the wrist, turning her so that they are facing each other.

"We need to talk." huffed Meredith, still catching her breath.

"Can this wait? Han has been breathing down my neck all morning to review these cardio files. Monster Han is on the war path. I think she's a little pissed that Doctor Montgomery got the McKinney baby."

"Whatever", dismissed Meredith, "This is important."

Cristina lifts an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Okay ... out with it."

Suddenly, a familiar voice calls out to Yang from behind.

"Hello Cristina."

Yang blinks once, twice, a rapid fire of thoughts speeding through her brain. She stares at Meredith, whose expression clearly reads "I'm sorry." Cristina eyes narrow. She slowly turns around, to come face to face with Doctor Preston Burke.

There is a long and rather awkward moment of silence. And when Cristina finally does speak and all she can muster is ...

"Doctor Burke."

Without saying anything else, or even letting Burke respond, Cristina jets down the hallway, leaving Preston and Meredith standing together, both extremely uncomfortable.

"Hello Meredith." stated Preston, watching Cristina fly around a corner, no longer in sight.

"Hello Doctor Burke." replied Meredith, her heart heavy with guilt.

"How is she?" asked Burke, clearly referring to Yang.

"I'd say from what I just saw, not good. No, not good at all."

**To Be Continued ...**


End file.
